Marcellus Shale states are dealing with hydraulic fracturing in a variety of ways

As the debate over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, rages on, several states atop the Marcellus Shale are trying to draft legislation or regulations on the natural-gas drilling and production technique, reports Jim Malewitz of Stateline.

In New York, where the industry has just began to locate, drilling could create 6,000 to 24,000 permanent jobs, but Malewitz reports that residents have mixed feelings. In spite of their concern, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation is planning to lift a ban on fracking, with exceptions for two watersheds. Many, including a group of scientists who wrote Gov. Andrew Cuomo about the impacts of fracking, think the method endangers human health. The Department of Energy has suggested companies disclose what chemicals are used in fracking, but only five states have chemical disclosure laws.

Elsewhere, laws concerning gas drilling have been drafted or passed. In New Jersey, legislators passed a bill to permanently ban fracking. Malewitz reports the bill was later vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie, who instead started a one-year moratorium on drilling and asked lawmakers to come up with new regulations. There's a three-year moratorium in Maryland right now so officials can study drilling's impact on human health and the environment.

Malewitz reports that in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the industry moved fast and has developed quickly as a result. An industry-funded report released this summer found that drilling in these states could generate an economic impact of over $633 million in 2011. Though the U.S. Geological Survey recently found that Marcellus shale contains 326 trillion tons less natural gas than the Energy Information Agency previously estimated, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has labeled the gas deposits "a gift from heaven" for his state. Malewitz reports that he is constructing an energy policy that will likely involve natural gas. (Read more)